Thursday, December 31, 2009

New Years' St. Lucia/Caribbean Images by Jan Maizler




St. Lucia defies comparison in it's unique splendor. It is not only striking but lush in a South Seas kind of way. Sure, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but can the Bahamas come close in this fashion? I think not. Close runner-ups I have visited are Dominica and the rain forest on the top of Martinique.
I never fished the blue waters of these islands, but chose to explore Lucia's mangrove areas for snook and tarpon. I was never able to get to where I thought the Lucian pot of gold sat in the saline forests.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Alaska Salmon Adventures.....











I'll take my Alaskan salmon wherever I can get 'em- cruise ships, planes, floatplane flyouts...
whatever!
The first is a big coho taken off Sitka on downrigger and blue rubber squid.
The second is a nice Skagway chinook taken on light spin and pixie spoon.
The last two are Sitka "pinks" caught on the same rigging as the coho.
I love Alaska!

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Off to Cabo!







I'd always wanted to catch a roosterfish and an ideal opportunity presented itself on a cruise that featured ports-of-call Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. I booked passage immediately.
My charter trip out of Cabo was handled by Grant Hartman of Baja Anglers- a truly first-class outfitter. We were fishing five minutes from the dock and caught three roosterfish (pez gallo), seven mackeral (sierra) and a few chunky jacks (toro). We also saw a huge school of pompano about fifty yards long, but did not fish for them.
CONTACT DATA-
Grant Hartman

Monday, December 28, 2009

Reprise of Whopper Snook and Slick Bonito Action with Captain Butch Constable




Butch catches fish all year long- he's a real expert and Jupiter's light tackle Guru.
Here's some reformatted snapshot prints of some past summer action right off Jupiter with my favorite tackle- plug casting!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Far-Off Fanning Island Trevally Signature Series Images by Jan Maizler


Fanning Island lies a days-long boat ride northwest of famed Christmas island in the Pacific. Both of these islands are beautiful atolls with sugar sand beaches, great surfing, and astonishing fishing.

The only way you can get to Fanning is by boat and for a short while, thank goodness, by cruise ship... which is how I got there. You can see the Norwegian Wind in the background of these reformatted print snapshots.
This trip took over a year to plan. I worked with resident surfing and fishing guide Chuck Corbett in setting this up. Chuck said that the local government official, Naan, would be my guide. My plan was to fish for the reputed large and unpressured bonefish on the expansive flats.

When the Wind arrived on "Fanning Day"- and I do mean BOTH the ship and the weather- the "breeze" was over 30 m.p.h. Flats fishing was impossible, as Naan's skiff could not make it to the center flats in the weather. Naan did inform me that the jig fishing in the inlet would be very productive.

And, indeed, it was! I used my white bucktail of choice, the Spro Prime, to nail giant trevally to 15 pounds, bluefin trevally to 7 pounds, and countless papio (a skipjack-like fish) to 5 pounds. I report without any hyperbole that I had a strike or hookup on basically every cast except when the tide went slack.

I gave Naan a large trevally for the village and he said he'd be back shortly. Naan returned as I was releasing another bluefin trevally with the help of another cruise ship passenger. In a formal and very honorable gesture, he gave me a gift of a beautiful handcrafted wood and palm fiber ceremonial knife. He explained the local custom was to give a gift in return for another's generosity. I was humbled beyond words.

Since that time about 10 years ago, I've been in touch with Chuck off and on. I have not been able to communicate with Naan, but I know one thing: he will always be my friend.

Jan Maizler

Friday, December 25, 2009

The Bountiful Bucktail





























The Bountiful Bucktail

By

Jan Stephen Maizler


If I were compelled to fish with only one lure in my tackle box, it would surely be the bucktail. Whether in a survival kit or a tournament bag, this venerable lure has the pedigree of an incredibly long history of popularity- and the reason is simple: versatility in all kinds of marine settings from the inland flats to the cobalt depths while sporting a “universal” color that mimics so many of our baitfish.

I like to think of this lure as kind of a Superhero or X-man- basically magnificent, but when given a new quality or feature, capable of even so much more. Therefore, the white bucktail is inherently perfect, but may take on “another form” based on how and where it will be used such as different head shapes and different hookeye placements for different action as well as different head sizes for different sink rates and operating depths. Remember, though it may be slightly altered for each unique piscatorial purpose, it’s still the same Superhero!

It’s extremely important to choose a bucktail of the highest quality where the materials and construction are of the finest kind. Be sure that your white bucktail has an abundance of skirted hair material that is sufficiently wrapped to the jighead. It’s even a better sign if the hairs look “overwrapped” and that said wrapping has a clear coating of some sort binding it together.

There are two essentials of the jighead construction itself. Firstly, the hook must be of the finest grade wire and must feature a point that is “sticky-sharp” right out of the box. Secondly, the finished details of the jighead itself should be as life-like as possible- this is particularly true of well-designed eyes. For these reasons, I choose a white Backbone bucktail for the flats and a white Spro Prime bucktail for bay, bridge, and ocean applications.

BUCKTAIL BASICS-

The bucktail is basically some hairs tied to a jighead, which is the essence of simplicity itself. This lure has the striking white coloring that matches or mimics that vast majority of scaled baitfish around the world like minnows, shiners, whitebait, sardines, mullet, and balao. Even the darker forage fish that live in the offshore weedlines have white bellies, which is exactly what gamefish like mahi are aiming for as they attack upwards in the water column!

While it’s often claimed this lure has no built-in action, thoughtful consideration will reveal this conjecture as only partially true. Fast-reeling a (white) bucktail creates a streaking presentation that no feeding kings, mackeral, mahi, jacks, or barracuda can resist- ask these fish whether that white bucktail has no action! Perhaps it’s more accurate to convey that a jigging or bouncing retrieve allows this marvelous lure to attract more of the same species of fish (as well as other species) in a larger window of water, weather, and feeding conditions.

You’ll find bucktails are available in sizes ranging from 1/32 ounce to 5 ounces. Water depth, degree of current, size of the forage fish, and size of the target gamefish will determine the size of the bucktail. The basic rule is to keep the size of your white bucktail as small as possible, which allows the smallest of your target species (as well as the largest) to partake of your irresistible and somewhat generous pseudo-meal.

The above factors as well as the actual action of the drop and retrieve of the jig in the water column determine your choice of jighead shape and style. The hookeye placement in your white bucktail will determine its retrieve action as well as its retrieve in relation to the actual bottom, be it mud, grass, sand, reefs, or wrecks.

It will always pay to rig your bucktail with a loop knot to give it maximum action: this is regardless of whether you use a leader or not. As to knot choice, either the Uni-Knot or Homer Rhode loop knot are fine.
BUCKTAILING THE FLATS AND SHALLOWS-

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more universal lure for the flats and shallows than the white bucktail. Because of the brevity of the water column, choose smaller bucktails from 1/8 ounce to 3/8 ounces. You’ll also find it prudent in your skinny water tactics to choose a flat skimmer head that will sink a tad more slowly than other jighead shapes. The flathead skimmer also retrieves up and over grass clumps and beds most effectively as well.

When you fish “deeply-forested” grassflats, be sure to use a white skimmer jig that features a weed guard accessory. These monofilament devices project outward and ward off grass blades that might entangle your hook. They also bend quite easily and nicely to maximize your hookup as your quarry gobbles up your bucktail. BackBone lures come with a standard weed guard.

When you’re casting on very shallow flats, as soon as your bucktail lands, keep your rod
high and begin retrieving. Make sure your retrieve style includes frequent and gentle upward sweeps of the rod, particularly when you’re blind casting to flat bottom. When you blind cast to structure like potholes, pause your bucktail so it sinks into the depths of that hole briefly.

On ultra shallow flats where you see your quarry-such as tailing bones off Abaco or redfish off Flamingo- make your cast in front of but beyond your quarry. This achieves two things. Firstly, it won’t plop next to the fish on the landing and blow them off the flat. Secondly, the retrieve you make will take your bucktail on an intercept course where the feeding fish will see it a reasonable distance in front of them and go after it.

When you’re casting to tailing or “heading” permit, you have two choices. The first is to cast it in front of the fish, reel it past the fish until it sees it and begins its pursuit and then drop it to the bottom dead-still like a hiding crab. The other choice- particularly with schooling permit- is to cast to the periphery of the school in front of them or alongside them and bring it back with short, hopping jigs. I used this latter technique recently off Belize River Lodge and broke the Club Record with an astonishing nine permit in one day with my bucktail.

When it comes to rolling tarpon, it always pays to retrieve your bucktail with a slow sweep of the rod and then retrieve the line, much like a slow motion of pumping a fish back to the boat. Tarpon seem to like a pause and retrieve effect, not a jig-and-hop style.

My tackle choice for bucktailing the flats and shallows is spinning tackle featuring a nine-foot steelhead rod for the longest casts as well as a super-fast retrieve spinner loaded with eight-pound test mono line. Braided line is not needed as strikes are obvious, the fish are not far away, and braided line is too unforgiving on the soft mouth of seatrout.


BUCKTAILING THE BRIDGES AND BAYS-

For starters, change your tackle over to stouter tackle. This includes seven-foot long graphite spinning rods combined with reels loaded with 8/30 braided line, such as PowerPro. Baitcasting tackle should utilize similar graphite rod and braided line profiles. Understand that bay waters begin “deeper water” applications where braided lines’ strike detection and power loading features for solid hooksets far outshine monofilament.

Now is the time to consider changing jighead shapes to peahead, beanhead, and “smiling fish” types. Bridge and bay white bucktails usually range in size from ½ ounce to 1 ½ ounces.

Bucktailing these areas is best served by using a longer-interval lift and drop slow-jigging technique that is always oriented to the bottom where most inshore fish spend their time. Even mackerel will blast a bucktail flying up off the bottom. If you see a fish like this following your jigged bucktail, speed it up!

White bucktailing bridges, always should orient to the bottom when the fishing starts. Start working your lure in slow hops right off the bottom, where more snook and tarpon “suspend” than you could possibly realize. One special accessory is the addition of a plastic bait to your white bucktail. I particularly like to add a long red or glo-white plastic worm that extends a few inches past the bottom of the bucktail skirt. Working this rig deep under nighttime bridge shadows has taken countless snook as well as tarpon in my angling history.


DEEP JIGGING WITH BUCKTAILS-

As you go deeper, more modifications are in order. Jighead shape should be bullet-headed to allow for a fast descent. Spinning tackle and bait casting tackle should continue to emphasize graphite rods, and fast-retrieve reels. It’s a given that the reels be loaded with braided line because its’ thin diameter allows for a faster drop or descent as well as the previously mentioned advantages over mono.

The precise methods of deep jigging are already well known. Specifically, there are two important features to remember. Firstly, your white bucktail often gets hit on the drop and a fast pickup and come-tight strike is needed for a solid hookup- this is where graphite rods, fast-retrieve reels, and no-stretch braided line all shine quite brightly with deep jigging. Additionally, getting hit “on the drop” is often signaled by the line “stopping” too soon relative to the depth as well as by the line suddenly flying off the reel far too quickly in the free-spool tempo. Secondly, it will always enhance your catch rate to adorn or “dress up’ your white bucktail for deep jigging. My personal choice is to hang a six-inch long pearl-colored Culprit worm on the hook. My next step is to give a scented squirt of Rip Tide Blast Shrimp Spray to the worm and let it out. I’ve never been disappointed by the results, as I’m sure you won’t be either!


.



CONTACT DATA:

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Tarpon Stabilize after Huge Frontal Weather


After the passage of a super-wet warm front and then a cold front. the tarpon have settled into their seasonally-usual haunts.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Press Release from Angler's Survey

For Release: December 10, 2009
Contact: Donna@southwickassociates.com


New survey shows what factors influence hunters’ and anglers’ purchasing decisions

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. - A November 2009 survey revealed more than half of anglers and hunters base their purchasing decisions on brand loyalty. According to HunterSurvey.com and AnglerSurvey.com, conducted by Southwick Associates, 53.8 percent of hunters and 51.6 percent of anglers agreed they prefer continuing their use of the same, quality brands.

Survey respondents also indicated the influence of “other experienced anglers or hunters” was an important factor when deciding what product brands to purchase. Nearly 53 percent of anglers and 50 percent of hunters agreed they rely on the advice and opinions of other experienced sportsmen and women. Results suggest opinion leaders in the fishing community are more influential than their counterparts on the hunting side.

Other factors influencing brand purchasing decisions included magazine advertisements and TV commercials. However, only 11.8 percent of anglers and hunters cited magazine advertisements as an influencer while 5.2 percent of hunters and 6.3 percent of anglers relied on TV commercials. These results suggest sportsmen and women rely on discovering the best quality brands through word of mouth within their peer group versus being swayed by the media.

Survey results of the question “What influences your purchase of a brand?” are listed below:

What influences your purchase of a brand?
Anglers
Hunters
Brand loyalty
51.60%
53.80%
Magazine advertisement
11.80%
11.80%
Another experienced angler/hunter
52.70%
50.00%
TV commercials
6.30%
5.20%
Other
24.90%
28.20%

-30-

About AnglerSurvey.com and HunterSurvey.com
Launched in 2006, AnglerSurvey.com and HunterSurvey.com help the outdoor equipment industry, government fisheries and wildlife officials, and conservation organizations track consumer activities and expenditure trends. The information above represents only a small sample of the vast amount of data that is available from the complete survey results. The results are scientifically analyzed to reflect all U.S. anglers

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Fond Memories of Keywadden Island...

A Key to Paradise

By

Jan Maizler



As Jim Kanzler snaked his shallow water skiff through the mangroves to the Isles of Capri where my car waited, the images of the action, the Estate, and the surroundings stayed strong and colorful in my mind. That was a good sign, because it signaled that my experience would become a cherished memory.

Although I caught countless numbers of ladyfish, jack crevalles, and jumbo mangrove snappers, it was the snook that finned out in the front stages of my mind. I couldn’t possibly remember each and every one of the countless strikes and pulled hooks I had with the line-sided bad boys. However, I did succeed in keeping a catch and release tally, which numbered thirty-six fish to twenty pounds! As I said, an incredible two days of snook fishing.Key Island Estate is the brilliant idea of owners Stacey and Jim Kanzler. They have opened up their beautiful yet secluded Key Island home to groups yearning for an eco-island experience. This fortunately includes groups of anglers, as well as their non-angling friends and family.

The fishery at Key Island Estate is absolutely a round-the-clock opportunity, and consists of three types of habitats and techniques. Because Key Island Estate lies on basically uninhabited Key Island, you have about eight miles of pristine Gulf of Mexico surf all to yourself. In the calm summer weather, you’ll find countless numbers of snook swimming parallel to the beach only a few feet from the water’s edge. You will be most effective if you pretend that you are casting to spooky bonefish, because that’s exactly how these snook behave.

In early morning’s sunrise, and in full daylight, casting to these snook is a total sight-fishing experience. It’s best if you stay low and well back on the beach, so these keen eyed fish do not see your silhouette or movement. Cast your small bucktail or fly well in front of the cruising snook: when the fish is about a yard away, retrieve it in the darting motions of the ever-present minnow schools.

The low light times of early dawn and late dusk present different conditions and opportunities for casting the Gulf beaches. It will be harder for you to see the fish, and conversely, for them to see you. You’ll be casting to the boiling strikes in the minnow schools or just plain blind casting. Either way, in the muted light you’ll find that the snook strike more aggressively. Another bonus of fishing at these times is that large schools of jack crevalles invade the surf’s edge to feed on the same vast minnow schools. These predators create large areas of frothy action as they feed almost right onto the beach: you certainly won’t miss them! Try slowing down your retrieve through the melee, and you may even hook up with one of the fat mangrove snapper that lie in wait on the beach bottom for the silvery falling food.



The beaches of Key Island Estate can therefore offer you — as it did for me — opportunities where you can cast to individual cruising fish or car-sized patches of crashing jacks, ladyfish, snapper and mackerel. Tough work, but I guess someone’s got to do it!The beauty of this destination is that while it is in close proximity to the beautiful cities of Marco Island (to the south) and Naples (to the north), it lies in the heart of Rookery Bay Sanctuary. As a visiting angler to Key Island Estate, to you this means mangroves and lots of them and of course along with the mangroves come the big three that live there: snook, redfish, and tarpon. Guided skiffs do the mangrove fishery at this destination. The habitat that will be covered is huge: anywhere from Rookery Bay all the way down to the Ten Thousand Islands.

Light tackle fishing in mangrove country is largely a daytime proposition. It is also more of a year-round enterprise because of the shelter from harsh weather that the mangroves provide. Mangrove fishing is a target-casting undertaking, and the targets generally involve key points of structure and dark pockets right hidden under the mangrove shadows. This is a fishery where flies and artificial lures are a true delight, as an accurate cast to any likely looking spot could mean a hookup with any of the aforementioned species. On occasion, guides will net a live-well full of pilchards to utilize as hors d’ oeuvres. They do this by tossing a handful of stunned “livies” into the mangrove roots. The resulting pops will be a pretty sure sign that your future snook or redfish is turning on, and has a date with destiny on the end of your line. When the lure fishing slows down a bit, sometimes the guide will bait up a spinner with one of the live baits for you. Despite the tackle I might be using, I always graciously accept this offer since I know a strike is pretty much on its way.

In making arrangements to visit this destination, owners Jim and Stacey Kanzler were eager to point out, “there are a lot of snook around the docks at night”, but I was no where near prepared for what lay in store for me.The idea of snook aplenty haunted me on my drive from Miami to the Isles of Capri, which is just north of Marco Island. Upon my arrival, a huge thunderstorm was moving westward over the area. It glared down hard in its grayish black rolling fullness. Occasionally, it would throw down a startling lightning bolt right into the bay just a few miles upwind of me.

As I finally approached the parking area, a figure suddenly appeared at my side. It was Randy, one of the crewmembers from Key Island Estate. He graciously greeted me, looked upward with a big smile and said, “we can probably make it if we quickly transfer your things.” We quickly made a rapid transfer of rods and baggage into the skiff and he fired up the engine. He looked at the sky again, and asked me which way I’d prefer the ride to the Island: the fastest or the more scenic, where we might get in a cast or two. I could swear I heard the tip of my graphite plug rod humming, so I quickly chose the former.


In less than fifteen minutes, we were docking at the front door of the estate, a magnificent three-story home finished in wood and majestic in scope. That was when the skies opened up. We’d arrived not a minute too soon. Despite the ensuing downpour, images of snook among the dock pilings swam circles in my mind.After introductions, a tour, and a marvelous meal cooked by the Kanzlers, I noticed it was quite dark outside: Fortunately not the bad, storm-darkness, but the sweet darkness of nightfall. Jim’s offer to grab some tackle and investigate their now well-lit dock was like the first kiss with a girl you had a crush on. As we walked down the outside stairs, the after-rain freshness of the vegetation enveloped us, accompanied by the music of a million crickets on this secluded Magic Island. Far off in the Gulf, a flash of lightning briefly lit our path to the docks.

It seemed far too long before our feet touched the dock’s first plank. Jim stopped our stride with an outstretched arm, and then pointed to an area under the dock lights. By the time he said, “look”, I’d already spotted one of the most magnificent sights I have ever seen. There were probably a hundred snook feeding into the current, hitting anything that vaguely resembled food. As I eased forward towards them, the aggressiveness of their popping strikes filled me with anticipation. It was a good thing I’d brought two fully rigged plug outfits, because my level of agitation precluded the fine finger movements of tackle rigging.

I trusted that my lures, a SPRO white bucktail and a D.O.A. small, silver-sided Terroreyz would do their job. At the most, all I could do was walk quickly to the up-tide side of the dock, and make a simple cast over the horde of fish. The strike was immediate, and a healthy snook of about ten pounds thrashed up out of the water. It tail walked over part of the school, temporarily scattering them. I used maximum pressure with my twelve-pound line, and had my first fish caught & released within 60 seconds.


I gave the school time to settle down and pull together. I picked up the other plug rod and cast a bit farther away on the outskirts of the light. Two slow pulls were quickly followed by a vicious strike. I struck back to get a good hook set, and an even larger snook of about fifteen pounds came thrashing to the surface. My tactic of maximum pressure and “quick-stroke” rod pumps bested the fish in about the same time. I also learned that if I “rested” the school for a half hour, almost every cast would get an instant strike.

Another nightly thrill you can almost count on when fishing the docks of the Estate are the large tarpon feeding in the middle of the channel. Any and every passing mullet school literally gets “crashed” by these silvery giants with huge explosions. It sounds like a compact car dropping from a high diving board into the inky waters of the night. As the sun came up the following morning and the “dock snook” dropped off into the center of the channel, all I could think of was running across the Estate to fish for the bonefish style snook in the surf.


And so, the fishing and the catching went on and on....Any discussion of Key Island Estate would be incomplete without mention of the facilities many features and amenities. The house itself is built with wood and glass and the interior is topped off with the finest Caribbean art. Two uniquely cozy air-conditioned “bed and bath” satellite buildings are attached by walkway spokes at opposite ends of the structure. Amenities inside include hammocks, viewing benches for sunsets, outside sun decks, a classic pool table, and a crisp ping-pong table. To top off your excellent meals, you’ll be eating either at the large tiled kitchen bar or at one of the spacious dining tables. Another corner of the central living space boasts an entertainment center with an oversized satellite television.



It is important to repeat that the Estate is on secluded acreage between two pristine bodies of water. Bird life abounds: gulls, gannets, ospreys, and pelicans are numerous visitors and residents at the Estate. Jim Kanzler has also seen wild boars, bobcats, lizards, deer and tortoises on the property. Of course, Key Island also features the unforgettable summer nights of watching turtles come ashore to lay their eggs.



The best way to understand the Key Island Estate experience is through its owners, Jimmy and Stacey Kanzler. As a couple and as parents of two children, they exude incredible friendliness, a sense of service, and generosity of spirit. During the span of a marriage that started in their teens, each partner has achieved considerable success. Jimmy got his first dump truck at the age of 15 and now runs a large construction and earth-moving company. Stacey is the inventor of a sandbagging machine that is used worldwide to save lives and property in the event of floods. Jimmy feels that owning Key Island Estate makes him “the luckiest man in the world”. He also feels that the Estate is a place to get away from his busy schedule. In contrast, Stacey sees the estate as a “connection to her soul”. Stacey is the heart of Key Island Estate, and is the steward of a home that is one of the most beautiful lodges around. She feels the lodge can handle up to 14 guests at a time quite nicely. She is also proud that the Estate is exquisitely sandwiched by the Gulf of Mexico on one side and lush mangrove backcountry channel on the other. To sum it all up, Key Island Estate is truly heaven on earth!von request. Some fishing equipment is available on site. Bait, lures and other supplies are available at Pelican Bend Marina or by advance arrangement.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Tarpon Still So Strong!

Again for fall/winter tarpon fishing, if you can match water temps and depths under cloudy skies, you're in like Flynn!

Remember to be liberal in all the shapes and sizes of artificials and baits you employ. And be sure to cover the ENTIRE WATER COLUMN.

www.fishingfloridasflats.com

Friday, December 04, 2009

From the Recreational Fishing Alliance

NOAA 'CHAMPIONS' ANOTHER CLOSURE


No Red Snapper Fishing Until Further Notice


December 4, 2009 - On Thursday afternoon, President Obama wrapped up a jobs forum in Michigan by challenging the nation's top CEOs, business leaders and economists to come up with innovative ideas to put Americans back to work. At the same time, NOAA Fisheries issued pink slips to thousands of South Atlantic and Gulf fishermen who rely on access to a healthy red snapper fishery. On December 3, NOAA announced a 6-month ban on both the recreational and commercial harvest of red snapper in South Atlantic federal waters off Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina beginning on January 4. The provisions specified in the interim prohibition rule also apply to a person on-board a vessel for which a federal commercial or charter/headboat permit for the South Atlantic snapper-grouper fishery has been issued, regardless of whether the fish are harvested or possessed in state or federal waters.



U.S. Congressman John L. Mica (FL-07) called the Administration's decision to impose the ban on red snapper fishing throughout the Southeast U.S. coast an economic disaster for the region. "During this time of economic downturn this ban will be a significant job killer and an economic blow to nearly every coastal community from North Carolina to South Florida," stated Mica.



Dave Heil, a Florida-based attorney for the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) has filed a lawsuit in federal court in Jacksonville and will seek an emergency injunction to prevent the ban from taking effect and asking a judge to throw out the rule that created the ban. "We have today filed a lawsuit in Federal Court in Jacksonville, FL and we feel confident that once a federal judge reviews the arbitrary and capricious methods used by the National Marine Fisheries Service, the closure will be overturned," Heil said.


Heil and the RFA charge that the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) are using improper data to drive their decision, and explain the government has already acknowledged that the data collection methodology used to make the closure determination was never intended to be used for such purposes.



The red snapper complaint filed on behalf of the RFA charges NMFS with ignoring mandates from the federal fisheries law (Magnuson Stevens Act) to address inconsistencies within the data collection process. "It is apparent that the SAFMC and the NMFS have ignored the Magnuson Stevens in passing the Interim Rule using the obviously flawed data from MRFSS," Heil added. "This ban will put thousands of marginal sport fishing tourist enterprises out of business," Rep. Mica said, adding "The timing couldn't be worse for Florida with its tourism and fishing seasons set to begin at the start of the New Year and with the economy at its worst in years.".

This release is a partial email announcement of the Recreational Fishing Alliance

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

New Orleans Images by Jan Maizler






















I spent some time eating the great food and taking in the super sounds of the Big Easy before heading out to stay at Woodland Plantation and fish with Captain Greg Dini.

Woodland Plantation Images by Jan Maizler











Woodland Plantation was our headquarters for fishing the Louisiana Marsh. What wonderful food, accommodations, and hospitality! Under Owner/G.M. Foster Creppel's guidance, Woodland
has so much to please anglers, birders, and their friends and families.
CONTACT DATA--
Woodland Plantation
21997 Highway 23
West Point a La Hache, LA 70083
504.656.9990
800.231.1514
504.656.9995 fax

Back from Louisiana/Thanks Greg Dini! Images by Jan Maizler



































































In Greg's able hands, we were able to release 14 redfish up to 30 pounds and a black drum pushing 25 pounds in two half-day trips- all this in very cloudy, poor spotting weather.
I've never seen redfish in such numbers, nor have I seen them strike with such unpressured aggression.
This great trip will be featured as an upcoming article in CyberAngler.
CONTACT DATA-
Capt. Greg Dini
Fly Water Expeditions
407-538-0770